One Year
by Super Serious Gal 3
Summary: It had been one year since that fateful day. {Burningleafshipping - Red/Leaf. My entry for reminiscient-afterthought's Writing Pairings Challenge}


It had been one year since she had last seen Red.

(He's still on that stupid Mt. Silver. No one, not even her, could bring him down.)

It had been one year since Red became the champion.

(Blue had become the champion first, but Red had beaten him in an explosive battle.)

It had been one year since she last challenged Red.

(She knew she was going to lose, but she challenged him anyways.)

It had been one year since she last lost to Red.

(They were both smiling and out of breath by the end, something more than tension in the air.)

It had been one year since she dared to do it.

(After the battle, she couldn't help but do it once she saw him. She pulled his surprised face close to hers and kissed him.)

It had been one year since she learned that Red liked her back.

(It was only when he started kissing back when she realized the truth.)

It had been one year since Blue had teased her about the wedding.

(He had seen them kissing and commented loudly on it as they both pulled away, blushing. She found it odd that he hadn't decided to announce his presence before, like he usually did.)

It had been one year since the three of them hugged.

(She had pulled Blue and Red into her embrace, somehow subconsciously knowing that this would be the last time they would see each other for a while.)

It had been one year since the three of them said goodbye.

(Blue had left first, with a classic 'smell ya later!' Red however, pecked her on the cheek before leaving, his face the same colour as his name.)

It had been one year since-

Leaf sighed and looked out the window. So many things had changed since that day. Blue had become the gym leader of Viridian City and Red had somehow decided that Mt. Silver was the place to be. Leaf had changed since then too. After visiting the Sevii Islands (which Red and Blue had done before her. No surprise there.), Leaf had decided to settle down in Pallet Town, to wait for when her two rivals would finally come back home. (But in reality, she was only waiting for one boy to come down from Mt. Silver, not that she wouldn't mind a visit from Blue though.)

When a boy knocked at her door and asked if she knew Red she almost slammed the door in his face. (Pallet Town was a small town, everyone here knew Red in one way or another.) When he announced himself as the Johto Champion she decided to listen. (This boy reminded her of Red, not that she would ever tell him that.) The boy quickly explained that he wanted to know where Red was so he could battle him. When she asked him how many Kanto gym badges he had, he said none. She slammed the door in his face after that, telling him to come back once he had all the badges.

When the boy came back a second time, she learned his name was Ethan. (It seemed that in Johto they didn't have odd naming habits as they did here. Who names their kid after a colour? A lot of people apparently.) He had beaten all the gyms except for the one in Viridian City, and he wanted advice on how to beat Blue. (As if she was the right person to give it. Although she liked battling, she was the worst out of their little trio at it.) She had told him that the last time she had seen Blue was one year ago and that she couldn't help him before promptly slamming the door in his face.

When Ethan came back a third time, he had every Kanto badge. He said that he was going to go up Mt. Silver and defeat Red, forcing him to come down from the mountain. (It was a good idea, but who could defeat Red?) He promised to not come back unless he had defeated Red. She slammed the door in his face again, he took it as a sign that she was wishing him good luck.

When Ethan came back for the last time, he had defeated Red. After his battle however, Red had disappeared. (She couldn't believe it. Her one and only hope of getting him back was gone.) Leaf slammed the door in his face.

When the doorbell rang, she opened the door. Expecting Ethan, she was surprised by her visitors. (The only one who had been visiting her for a while now had been Ethan.) blue and Red stood at her doorstep. She slammed the door in their faces. (It couldn't be them, it just couldn't be.)

When she opened the door again, they were still there. (She couldn't believe it was true.) They stared at each other for a while, before Blue pushed Red into the house. (And Red had fallen into her arms.) Leaf and Red stared at each other for a moment before Red drew her close and kissed her. (She had thought that she would never feel his lips again.) Blue smirked, walking into the house and closing the door.

"This is a nice little reunion, don't ya think?"

It had been one year since that day.


End file.
